


When The Day Is Through

by summerstorm



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Episode Tag, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-05-10
Updated: 2009-05-10
Packaged: 2017-10-05 10:49:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/40976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/summerstorm/pseuds/summerstorm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Codas to 5.22 "What a Difference a Day Makes".</p>
            </blockquote>





	When The Day Is Through

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Meredith looks up from his tie, which she's now retying for the fourth time in the past ten minutes, and says, struggling not to do something like rolling her eyes, "And you're asking me."

"You're my best man," Alex states. "Sort of."

"No, I'm good," Meredith says, tilting her head, reacquainting herself with her ego. "I can throw one hell of a bachelor party."

"You're the closest thing to a sleazy commitmentphobe in this room, yes."

"Which is exactly why I'm not the person you should be asking. I'm the dark and twisty one, remember?" she says, not even convinced herself.

"Oh, come on. You're... cloudy, and that's pushing it."

"You're not doing yourself any favors here," Meredith says, ceasing work on the tie.

"That's exactly what I'm freaking out about," Alex says, raising the speed of his words.

Meredith takes a deep breath and puts her hands firm on his shoulders. It's so weird to be doing this—even weirder because it's Alex. "Calm down. You're in love with this woman."

"Who's dying."

"So what? All that stuff about till death do us part, that's crap, Alex, and you know it."

"I really don't."

Meredith breathes in deep. "'Till death do us part'? Symbolic Christian propaganda, Alex. Not the point. When you go up there, you're not committing to spending a few years with someone. You're committing to forever. What you're saying is you're gonna stick to her forever. If she dies tomorrow, well, then forever ended too soon, but that's not what this is about. This is about you loving Izzie regardless of circumstance."

Alex blinks. "Right."

Meredith nods robotically. She's kind of weirded out that she came out with that, but it's not the right time to be self-absorbed. Not out loud, anyway. "Yep."

Alex blinks again, and blurts out, "I have no vows."

Meredith feels surprisingly composed this time, and repeats, "Just tell her you love her. However this came about, you love her. It doesn't matter how you say it, just let her know that you do, that you're in this with her."

Alex squints at some undetermined place behind Meredith's head. "Am I really?" he says, his face contorting into a grimace.

"Don't make me kick your ass, Karev."

Alex considers it, sighs—though it sounds more like a puff—and chuckles. "Dude, you're not even ashy," he says with a snort.

"Shut up," she says, "and go make your bride happy."

 

-

 

It had to come out at some point. Not like anyone in the hospital ever keeps things quiet.

"So," Izzie says, amusement clear in her gesture—a far cry from last night's tears. "_Today_."

"Today what?" says Alex.

"Today's the day you're a man," Izzie says. "You became one yesterday, so this is your first sunrise."

Alex blinks, not bothering to look up from the patient's chart he's checking. "I don't know what you're talking about."

It dawns on him that she might be delusional. This soon. His heart pretty much leaps forward as he looks up at Izzie.

Izzie snorts. "You stole your vows from a college kid," she states.

Alex frowns. Breathes in relief, first, then frowns.

"You _stole your vows_ from a college kid," Izzie repeats.

"I heard you the first time."

"You stole your vows. From a college _kid_," she says again, like an afterthought, shaking her head. "What was she, twelve?"

"She just graduated," Alex clarifies. "Technically she's already an adult."

"So you pronounce her, by the power vested in you by her valedictorian speech?"

"Shut up," he says, but keeps smiling.

"I can't believe you stole your vows," Izzie says. "Of all the things in the world."

Izzie's struggling not to giggle, he can tell. It's not like he was hiding it from her, and she doesn't seem particularly offended, so he just shrugs. "Everyone has their way of coping," he says. He's mostly trying to bullshit his way out of this, but that doesn't mean there's not a bit of truth in it.

"And yours was..."

"Paying homage to her."

"She _survived_."

"Them," Alex amends. "Whatever."

Izzie chuckles. "You're so lucky I'm bedridden, otherwise I'd kick your butt for half-assing our wedding."

"At least I said something," he says, for the sake of argument. "You couldn't have made something up on the spot? Like, 'Alex, I am so lucky to be loving you' or something?"

"Time after time," Izzie says with a grin. "You'll hear me say that I think you're an asshole."

"I think you're missing a few syllables in that verse."

"I think you love me, so we're even."

"That doesn't even make sense."

"I'm your wife," says Izzie, "I don't think I'm supposed to."

 

-

 

"So," Mark begins, pretty awkwardly, "we should—think? About getting married?"

"What?" Lexie frowns before she processes what Mark's said. Then she smiles, amused. "What a random thing to ponder."

"Oh, come on. Impromptu wedding, walk back home: elephant in the—" He looks around. "—city, I don't know, one of us had to bring it up."

"Not necessarily," Lexie says. "I'm twenty-four. I haven't been picturing myself in a wedding dress as we walked or anything." She takes a deep breath. "Well, maybe once. Or twice. But not like that."

Mark chuckles. "Like what?"

"You know," says Lexie, signaling at the narrow space between them. "Like that."

"Right."

Lexie suddenly turns toward Mark and stops on her tracks. She looks up at him, all wide-eyed in something like outrage, and says, "Unless you're looking for an excuse to run."

Mark raises an eyebrow.

Lexie laughs and turns to walk. "I'm not really the paranoid type," she says, and leans against Mark, who puts his arm around her shoulders. "Speculation is fun, though. Like, who's to say you didn't bring it up first so you could chicken out of this and blame it all on me?"

Mark doesn't bother to say he wouldn't do that, because, heck, he probably would. Not to Lexie, not now, but it's not much of an outlandish idea. Instead, he says, not very convincingly, "So we're definitely not getting married."

"Definitely not," Lexie says. "Unless you feel too old to wait. I could make an exception. For the little girl in you who always dreamed of a big fat American wedding."

"Wait, let me get this straight: you just called me old, _and_ a girl."

Lexie shrugs under his arm. "Your words, not mine."

"I'm pretty sure those words were yours."

"See, you're already turning things on me."

Mark takes the high way and doesn't answer, just places a soft kiss on the top of her head.

"But I think you should know I'm not completely opposed to marriage," Lexie says, pointedly elbowing Mark in the ribs. "For the record. Just not anytime soon."

"I'll keep that in mind," says Mark.

 

-

 

"Why were you so worried, anyway?" Arizona asks.

"I—wasn't worried. I was concerned."

"Concerned. So you went all workaholic and almost let me break up with you before you admitted the truth because you were concerned."

"Yeah."

Arizona blinks and lets it go. "I still don't get it, though."

"What?"

"Cristina wouldn't really kick you out of the apartment because you can't make rent one month, would she? She seems like more of a barker. You're not that screwed, technically. And I didn't peg you as the dollars-on-the-eyeballs type."

"I'm not. I'm not like that. At all."

"It's okay to value money, you know, I just didn't think it was so important to you."

"It's not," Callie says, too quickly. She tries again. "It's not. It just kinda feels like someone's stolen my comfort blanket."

"But you still have the crib. The—proverbial one. And new metaphorical bedding coming in the mail. What your dad did was pretty crappy, but he's not redirecting your checks to his account or anything, is he?"

Callie gasps. "I don't—think so. I should call the bank." She reaches out for the phone, but Arizona holds her wrist back with a chuckle.

"That was a rhetorical question," Arizona states, firm. "You already got that sorted out."

"Oh." Callie frowns, and a look of realization crosses her face. "Oh. Yeah. Right."

"Yeah," Arizona replies with a nod. "Couple more pizzas, some more cheap wine, a lot more sex," she goes on, letting it sink in until the look on Callie's face is more smirky than panicky. "Next paycheck, you'll be fine. We'll be fine." The look on her face is earnest, convincing, Arizona knows that. It's a sincere one.

"You think?"

Arizona laughs, and her fingers slide from Callie's wrist down to hold her hand. "I _know_."


End file.
